Estonia — Travel Tips

Language

Estonia has their own language which closely resembles Finnish, thanks to TV and heavy tourism. More than 60 percent of the population can also speak Russian and some German. English is understood by the urban populace, especially the younger generations. There is a Slavic minority in the country.

Currency

The euro (EUR) replaced the Estonian kroon (EEK) when the country joined the eurozone in 2011, and has since been the main currency. Notes come in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5. Credit cards are widely accepted at hotels, restaurants and resorts. ATMs and currency exchange facilities are available in almost every town.

Time

GMT + 3:00.

Electricity

Estonia uses 220-240V voltage, and the primary socket types are Schucko and Europlugs. Multi-voltage devices will need an adapter and a transformer.

Communications

The country code for Estonia is +372 before the seven or eight digit number you are dialing. Landline phones are very reliable and mobile access is available everywhere, even at sea and on the smaller islands. Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased from different R-kiosks and kits are not expensive. Internet connectivity is widespread, especially in the main cities of Tartu and Tallinn. Public libraries offer free computers if you do not have a laptop and a number of internet cafés can be found downtown. Most hotels have complimentary internet access.

Duty-free

Estonia has become a popular tax-free shopping destination since the parliament lowered the boundary for duty free purchases in 2011. The change in legislation made shopping cheaper than in neighboring countries like Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, and Denmark. There is a EuroShop Duty Free branch in Tallinn Airport, offering a wide selection of goods from cosmetics to sweets, perfumes and alcoholic beverages.

Travelers are free to bring in up to 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars or 1kg of smoking tobacco. Do not bring over 10 liters of alcohol, 20 liters of beverages or 90 liters of wine into the country. Limitations also vary depending on which country you are traveling from, so check your customs policies accordingly.